


Cherry Stem Knot

by TheFoolsKnightober (TheFoolsKnight)



Series: Flufftober 2020 [9]
Category: The Eldest Curses Series - Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boys Kissing, Flufftober, Flufftober 2020, High School, Kissing, M/M, cherry stem knot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26970667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFoolsKnight/pseuds/TheFoolsKnightober
Summary: Flufftober Day 9 - FruityClary brings up the old cherry stem knot at lunch one day. Alec is surprised to learn that his long time crush Magnus Bane can do it.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Flufftober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948024
Comments: 7
Kudos: 100





	Cherry Stem Knot

"Can any of you make a cherry stem knot?"

"A what?"

Alec looked up from his meal to stare at Clary, who was waving a cherry around, having picked it up from the fruit salad the school was serving for lunch.

"A cherry stem knot," she explained, plucking off the tiny stem from the top of the cherry and holding it up for them to see. "Is when you try to tie a knot in this using only your mouth. They say that anyone who can make a cherry stem knot is a good kisser."

"A good kisser, huh?" Jace said, leaning forward in his seat. Alec pretended as if he wasn't paying any attention to the redheaded girl, but he kept an ear out for her words. Honestly, he wasn't the biggest fan of Jace's latest girlfriend at the moment. "Maybe I'll be able to tie one."

Clary handed him the cherry stem. "Good luck, then."

"I highly doubt it, to be honest," Simon, Isabelle's boyfriend said as they all watched Jace put the stem in his mouth and try to tie a knot in it. "I've never actually met someone who can do it."

Clary beamed. "I did, though."

Jace blanched, but only for a moment. He was clearly struggling with the knot, and the reaction was probably him unable to deal with the fact that there was someone who could do this. Alec shot him a sympathetic smile.

Isabelle leaned forward, plucking the stem off her own cherry, clearly wanting to try it out herself. "Who?"

"Magnus Bane."

Alec, who had been peacefully eating until then, choked on his meal. Isabelle shot him a sly smile, then turned to Clary. "Is that so?"

"Yep!" Clary grinned. "He did it in like a minute. He's amazing."

"Was that at one of those weird parties you like to attend?" Simon asked.

"Yeah, the one at his house. You were too busy Dungeons and Dragons with your bandmates, though."

Isabelle propped up her head on her hand, and her gaze fell on Alec for a moment before it slid to Clary. "I didn't know you were close with Magnus Bane."

"Yeah, we're kind of friends, I guess," she said. "He lives right next door to me."

"That's so cool," Isabelle gushed. "We should all go to his next party together, then. Right, Alec?"

Alec shot her a beseeching look, but slowly said, "Right."

Jace sighed in defeat and turned his head away, spitting out the stem onto the ground nearby. He turned back to Clary, hesitated a moment, then said,

"You didn't kiss Magnus, did you?"

Clary swatted his arm with an exasperated grin. "Come on! You  _ know  _ you were my first kiss!"

"I heard my name from here," said a very familiar voice from behind Alec. "Are you gossiping about me behind my back, biscuit?"

Alec froze when he felt the weight of Magnus's arms on top of his head, and possibly the weight of his chin, too. In front of him, Isabelle hid her smile in her hand. Alec glared at her. It didn't help him that Magnus was  _ touching  _ him, and it definitely didn't help that Magnus was his crush for a  _ very _ long time. 

"I was just telling them that you can make a cherry stem knot," Clary said, smiling up at him. "Not even Jace can make a cherry stem knot."

"That I can," Magnus confirmed, and though Alec couldn't see his face, he could tell that he was smiling.

"Can you show us?" Isabelle asked, grinning with all the eagerness of a five-year-old. 

"Of course!" Magnus moved his hands from Alec's head, and then patted his arm. "Scoot over."

Alec scooted over a little just as Magnus slid beside him onto the chair. Any little appetite Alec had left immediately evaporated into thin air. Magnus was actually sharing a chair with him.

This wasn't by any means the first time that Magnus was this close to him. Magnus  _ was  _ in general a pretty touchy-feely person, who'd throw an arm around or even go so far as to drape himself across the lap of anyone who was in his general vicinity, of course. And Alec had been in his general vicinity several times.

Now, he watched as Magnus picked a cherry from his plate, broke off the stem, and popped the stem in his mouth. His eyes flickered around, his jaw shifting from side to side as he attempted the knot, and Alec couldn't help but watch, mesmerized. 

At last, Magnus stuck out his tongue with a grin, and resting on top of it was the stem, tied into a neat little knot.

Alec stared. Around him, he could hear exclamations of surprise, but all he could see was Magnus’s cheeky grin, his eyes glinting as they slaked over to Alec. He gulped, face flushing immediately, and looked away.

“Well, I’ll be going now,” Magnus said, getting up from his chair. He took a few stops forward, then stopped and turned to Alec. “Oh, and Alexander?”

Alec started, blinking at Magnus. Magnus grinned at him and said, 

"That project we have in English? Well, my partner and I lived too far from each other so we talked to the teacher and got changed. You're my new partner now. Let's go to my home after school?"

Alec's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"You know, to work on the project. Anyway, I'm going to wait by the main entrance after school. Meet me there, and we'll walk home after school. Sound good?"

"Um, yeah."

"Great!" With a final grin, Magnus walked away, but not before he yelled over his shoulder, "See you after school!"

"Yeah!" Alec offered him a weak grin and waved at him until he turned away.

He didn't have to look at Isabelle to see her Cheshire cat grin.

He was pretty sure he wasn't going to survive this.

After school, Alec found Magnus standing outside the school as promised, and Magnus drove them both to his home. No one was in the house except for the two of them, and a few hours passed with them working on the project sitting on Magnus's bed.

Though he somehow managed to work on the project and talk to Magnus without making a complete fool of himself, Alec's traitorous brain kept going back to the incident in the cafeteria. Magnus could easily tie a cherry stem knot. And people who could tie them were said to be good kissers. Was Magnus really a good kisser then?

Alec really couldn't stop entertaining that notion. A part of him wanted to lean in and kiss Magnus and see for himself. But he didn't even know whether Magnus had any feelings towards him, and didn't want to take any chances. 

"Okay, let's take a break now," Magnus declared all of a sudden, shoving their books aside and draping himself across Alec's lap. Alec felt his heart skip several beats as he stared down at Magnus, who now had his head pillowed on Alec's thigh. "So, Alexander, what do you do when you're not doing group projects with handsome men like me?"

"Um, nothing much," Alec said, restraining himself from running a hand through Magnus's hair.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "No hobbies?'

"Well, I like to read, and I do archery on the weekends," Alec said.

Magnus's eyes widened. "You do  _ archery?" _

"Um, yes." 

"Well, well," Magnus grinned and ran a hand down Alec's arm. "You must be hiding some pretty good muscles down there, then."

Alec's throat went dry. Magnus's eyes darkened and he sat up, positioning himself in Alec's lap. A part of him died and ascended to heaven right then and there.

"So, you don't seem to have many hobbies," Magnus said, looking right into Alec's eyes. "Would it be safe to assume that you have enough free time to, say, hang out together?"

Alec could feel all the heat in the room rush up to his face. "Like… a date?"

Magnus smile widened then, lighting up his face like a Christmas bulb. "Exactly like that."

Alec felt himself smiling back, the rest of his soul already on its way to heaven. "Yes, I'd like to."

"Perfect." Magnus kissed him on the cheek, and his lips were sumptuous and soft and  _ perfect,  _ and before he could think twice, Alec turned his head and kissed Magnus on the lips.

The short burst of courage faded away and Alec's body turned to liquid jelly at the feeling of Magnus's lips on his. He almost tumbled back into the mattress but then Magnus's hands were around him, holding him steady as they kissed, releasing tiny gasps into the nonexistent space between their lips. Alec tentatively reached out, touching Magnus's shirt and feeling the warmth of his body seep through the cool silk. 

The realization burst like a firecracker inside Alec's mind. He was  _ kissing Magnus Bane. _

At last, when they slowly parted and rested their foreheads against each others, Alec smiled at Magnus and said, "You really are a good kisser."

Magnus winked at him. "The cherry stem knot never lies, my dear."


End file.
